Cigar and cigarette holders



Sept. 8, 1959 G. MEIER CIGAR AND CIGARETTE HOLDERS Filed Oct. 26, 1954 INVENTOR GEORG M El ER fi i ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,902,999 CIGAR AND CIGARETTE HOLDERS V Georg Meier, Furth, Bavaria,- Germany T Application October 26, 1954, Serial No. 464,755 Claims priority, application Germany October 28, 1953 Claims. Cl. 131-182) The invention relates to cigar or cigarette holders which have a filter filling. It relates particularly to cigar or cigarette holders having a filter cartridge having a sleeve serving both as ejectorand also as carrier for the filtering material.

When such sleeves are filled with wadding or other fibrous material both the filtering and also the drawing capacity of the holder are dependent upon the filling being inserted more or less loosely. Moreover, it is not agreeable for the user of the holder to have to remove the used filling and insert a new one. Other sleeves which are filled with granular filtering material do not, however, give satisfaction, on the one hand, because the sleeve must be provided with a top and bottom cover and because these end covers, in spite of being perforated, make the holder more difficult to draw.

According to the invention, an open sleeve with a porous one-piece filling, of foam plastic material, is used as a sleeve. Such a filling must not be so thick that it fits tightly in the sleeve because then the permeability of the cartridge, as soon as it has swelled slightly after being used for a short time and becoming moist, will be reduced considerably on account of the resultant radial pressure. The filling would then have to be renewed much too frequently. If the filling is of such small diameter that it can easily be slipped into the sleeve and sits loosely therein there is the danger that it may be sucked out of the sleeve when the smoker draws somewhat energetically. According to the invention therefore the construction is such that the loosely inserted filling of foam synthetic or plastic material or the like is secured against longitudinal displacement by holding means in the sleeve.

It has proved particularly advantageous to use a sleeve open at both ends and to provide as holding means inwardly extending projections in the sleeve.

It should be possible to smoke 30 to 40 cigarettes with a single cartridge. To attain this, another feature of the invention consists in making the filling with reduced cross-section in places, preferably in such a manner that sections of normal cross-section alternate with sections of reduced cross-section. By this construction the smoke which is passed through the filter can expand repeatedly on reaching the portions of reduced crosssection, whereas the residues from combustion carried along by the smoke are deposited chiefly in the short sections of normal cross-section.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing which shows a holder provided with a device for ejecting cigar or cigarette ends, and wherein:

Figure l is a longitudinal section of the holder;

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross section through the filter sleeve of the holder shown in Fig. 1 provided with relatively few retaining ribs;

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross section through a modified filter sleeve provided with a relatively large number of retaining ribs;

Figure 4 shows a strip of material from which the filter filling may be produced.

The holder comprises a mouthpiece 1 provided with a smoke guiding bore 17 and a front part generally designated by reference numeral 2. In the example illustrated the front part 2 consists of a metal tube or casing at the front end of which a cap 3 is formed which constitutes a socket for receiving a cigar or cigarette. This casing accommodates a sleeve 4 which serves as guide for the front end of the mouthpiece 1 during its longitudinal displacement.

A smoke guiding tube 5 is inserted into the enlarged bore of the mouthpiece 1 and is shiftable longitudinally toward the right as viewed in Figure 1, together with the mouthpiece 1 relatively to the casing 2. Its front edge 6 which is beaded outwardly bears against the bottom 7 of the cap 3 formed by inwardly extending flange-like portions. Between the bottom 7 and the mouthpiece 1 a recoil spring 8 is inserted which surrounds the smoke guiding tube 5 and tends to maintain the mouthpiece in the position shown in the drawing.

An insertion sleeve 9 is removably inserted into the. smoke guide tube 5 and accommodates a filter filling 10. In position for use the edge 11 of the sleeve 9 bears. against the beaded edge 6 of the smoke guiding tube 5.

The filling 10 is in one piece. It consists of porous: material, preferably synthetic plastic foam-like material. It is secured against longitudinal displacement by projections 12 extending radially towards the axis of the sleeve 9, preferably in the form of short longitudinal ribs.

As can be seen from Fig. 1, the filling 10 has sections 13 which are of reduced cross-section. Opposite these sections a space 14 is formed between the filling and the sleeve. The smoke which is drawn through the sleeve 9 in smoking can expand slightly in these spaces 14 as soon as it has passed the preceding portions 15 of normal cross-section. Thus the passing of the smoke through the filter sleeve is correspondingly facilitated. Furthermore, the construction presents the advantage that the residues from combustion carried along by the smokeladen air are deposited to a greater extent in the portions 15 of normal cross-section, so that an improved filtering effect is attained.

The filtering material may be made by stamping the same from a flat web of foam plastic material. The filter filling 10 in this case will have a square cross-section as seen in Figure 4 and at the same time it is possible by the stamping process to produce a filler having portions of normal cross-section alternating with portions with reduced cross section as also shown in Figure 4.

Fig. 2 shows a form of cartridge having relatively few retaining ribs 12 of triangular cross-section. It has, however, been found possible to use the form of construc tion shown in Figure 3, wherein a relatively largenumber of retaining ribs 12 are provided which ribs. 12 are so shaped that the filling, which will be com-- pressed radially inwardly within the range of these ribs: 12', is unable to enter the passages 16 which are located between the retaining ribs 12. The sleeve is designated in Figure 3 by reference numeral 9'. In this; manner these passages 16 remain free with the result that. each causes a nozzle-hire effect owing to its narrow cross-- section, thereby assuring the easy passage of the smoke through the filter insertion without affecting the cleansing... of the taste of the residues from combustion and the. like.

The invention is not restricted to cigar and cigarette. holders but can also be used in tobacco pipes.

I claim:

1. A filter cartridge adapted for use in a cigarette= 3 holder comprising a tube having open ends and inwardly directed ribs, the ribs being shorter than the tube and being arranged in axial rows on the inner surface of said tube, a filler for said tube comprising foam-like material having portions having .a' diameter substantially equal to the inside diameter of the tube alternating with portions of reduced diameter axially. arrangedthereof, said reduced portions being adapted to be arranged adjacent said ribs and having a diameter. adapted to provide a space between said filler and the inner surface of said tube whereby said filler may expand and whereby said ribs prevent axial displacement of the filler with respect to the tube.

2. A filter cartridge adaptedfor use in a cigarette holder including a mouthpiece, said cartridge comprising a tube supported within said holder having open ends, said .tube being adapted to serve as an ejector, a filler for said tube comprising foam-like material, said filler having alternately larger and smaller cross-sectional portions arranged axially thereof, said smaller cross-sectional portions providing spaces between the inside of said tube and the smaller portions of said filler, said tube having inwardly. projecting means adapted to cooperate with at least one of said space providing portions for preventing axial displacement of said filter in relation to said tube.

3. A filter cartridge according to claim 2, wherein said inwardly projecting means comprise ribs arranged in axial rows on the inner surface of said tube and Wherein said ribs are shorter than said tube.

4. A filter cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the portions ofthe filler with said smaller cross-sectional-portions are arranged adjacent said ribs.

5. A filter cartridge according to claim 2, wherein said filler has square cross sections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,056,359 Peterson Mar. 18, 1913 1,875,432 Far-land Sept. 6, 1932 1,950,542 Copell Mar. 13, 1934 1,976,890 Polymeros Oct. 16,1934 2,580,974 Sutter Jan. 1, 1952 2,607,354 Wilson Aug. 19, 1952 2,688,380 MacHenry Sept. 7, 1954 2,695,617 Warnberg Nov. 30, 1954 2,774,354 Florman Dec. 18, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 4,468 Great Britain 1881 28,469, Great Britain 1902- 123,508 Great Britain Feb. 27, 1919 162,671 Austria Mar. 25, 1949 588,079 Great Britain May 13, 1947 694,436 Great Britain July 22, 1953' 882,369 Germany July 9, 1953 972,530 France ,Aug. 30, 1950 

